TO GROW INDEFINITELY, EMPOWER YOUR PEOPLE
In a session with an executive team last week, I began by asking “how many of you feel your stakeholders have become less demanding in the past year?” The laughter was loud and unrestrained. Next, I asked “how many of you feel like you are constantly being asked to do more with less?” They all nodded in shared pain. Finally, “how many of you feel that your people possess more intellect, skill and passion than they bring to their job every day?” The penny dropped and I had their full attention.
It makes no sense that on the one hand leaders feel overworked and even overwhelmed, while on the other hand those same leaders feel that that their people are under-contributing. There are many reasons why we don’t empower team members to take ownership of the tasks that we currently do ourselves, including:
- You tell yourself that something could go wrong, only you can do it, no one else can do it well enough, this is your space, this is the way it’s always been done, giving team members more work will exhaust them, and so on.
- You work in a culture where mistakes are not really allowed. You worry about the consequences for yourself and your team members when the inevitable mistakes occur.
- Certain tasks and responsibilities give you a sense of power or significance. You worry about the loss of relevance you might experience if you give that over to someone else.
- Your identity is tied to being an “expert” rather than a “leader”. You worry about who you will be if you’re no longer needed for technical expertise.
- Often, it just feels easier and more efficient to do it yourself.
If you lead a team, here’s a simple rule of thumb; if one of them can do something that you’re doing right now, you should delegate that task or responsibility to them. This simple idea, applied well, means that you and your team can grow and develop indefinitely.
INSPIRATION FROM OTHERS
“A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader. A great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“The beauty of empowering others, is that your own power is not diminished in the process.” – Barbara Coloroso
QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON
- What are all of the key responsibilities and tasks that comprise your role?
- Which of your responsibilities could be delivered by others, if they could develop the skills and insight over time?
- Which of your team members could, or should, grow into new areas of responsibility?
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